Did President Donald Trump accidentally rename Northern Kentucky's most populous city with an errant tweet?

Probably not.

But people still love Trump's cryptic weekend tweet about "negative press covfefe." They want to rename Northern Kentucky's most popular city, Covington, after it.

A change.org petition quickly started to change the name of Covington to Covfefe. It had 156 signatures after four days.

The petition praised Covington as "being patriotic and forward thinking."

"This new name will allow us to honor the legacy of the 45th leader of the free world and make (what was formerly known as) Covington into the bigly-est and most beautiful must-see place from sea to shining sea," the petition stated.

While Covington will still appear on maps, people on social media have taken to the new name.

IRS departure looms large in Covington

The IRS will close its sprawling Covington's processing complex by 2019, eliminating 1,800 jobs. The rise in online tax filing led to the IRS's decision to close the 450,000-square-foot processing center along Covington's riverfront on Fourth Street.

The move will cost the city of Covington $1.5 million to $2 million annually in tax revenue, city officials estimated in a budget presentation to the Covington City Commission on Wednesday.

The proposed budget for the next fiscal year, if passed, would maintain the status quo, with no cuts or new hires.

But the loss of the IRS site will be on the minds of city leaders as they assemble the city's budget in the next month. The IRS tax revenue accounts for only 4 percent of the city's $50 million budget, but many see its impact extending beyond than that.

"It's a significant hit to the city's budget," said Mayor Joe Meyer. "You've got to go beyond the number of employees to the number of contractors, security workers, cleaning crews and other folks that will be losing work as a result of the closing. We have to be proactive to find ways to mitigate the negative impact."

Interim City Manager Loren Wolff recommended leftover money in the budget should go toward absorbing the IRS's departure. If all goes according to the modest projections by staff, the reserves would be $3.7 million.

But officials still see a bright future for Covington. The recent growth in Covington has started to pay dividends, with revenues this fiscal year coming in 2.3 percent higher than anticipated, netting an additional $1.1 million. Hotel Covington, Duveneck Square and other developments have created momentum.

"We're in a transition period," Wolff said. "There are a lot of great things going on in the city, improvements to the city's financial position. But also, with the IRS leaving, we need to make sure we're planning for the future."

That budget is only a recommendation. The City Commission over the next month will work on the final budget. Other issues will be considered, including restoring the firefighters and equipment moved a few years ago from the city's south end amid budget cuts.

City manager search garners interest from around the nation

Covington has received 37 applications from 16 different states, according to a press release from the city. Two applications came from overseas, from Japan and Kenya.

The city contracted with Municipal Solutions to conduct an international search.

"We're excited with the responses we've received," Interim City Manager Loren Wolff said in a statement. "Each of the potential candidates has an impressive background and is qualified for the position, but it's not just about a candidate's resume."

The previous city manager, Larry Klein, quit earlier this year after a much-publicized feud with new Mayor Joe Meyer.

Scott Wartman completes a breaking news story at the Cincinnati Enquirer newsroom.(Photo: The Enquirer/Nancy Daly)

There's a little bit of everything in Northern Kentucky. Farmlands in the south give way to urban centers in the north along the Ohio River. More than 300,000 people live in the three counties and 35 cities. This is a space for some of the news and issues that might otherwise go unnoticed. If you have a news item you want included in this weekly column, contact me at swartman@enquirer.com, on Twitter at @ScottWartman or by phone 859-578-5572.